“The Hole in the Ground” draws from Irish folklore like Changelings and Fairy Forts, but is told in a way that feels right at home with even the most Americanized supernatural scary story. As /Film’s Chris Evangelista said in his review of the film back in 2019, “[Lee] Cronin is not f****** around. He has one thing on his mind: he wants to scare you, no matter what it takes.” Tales of Changelings are nothing new in horror, but rather than abandon the folk origins for something completely new, “The Hole in the Ground” embraces the mystery of ancient legend but sets the film in the present day. This should be exciting to fans of “The Evil Dead,” as it proves Cronin knows how to take something classic, and make it feel fresh without losing the roots of what made the story effective in the first place.
The film is also filled with creepy and deeply unsettling humanoid creature designs. The scariest thing about Deadites (in my opinion) has always been how close they are to appearing human. As much as people like to poke fun at Shelley in “The Evil Dead” for having a freakout after Cheryl becomes possessed and repeats, “For God’s sake, what happened to her eyes?!” she was onto something. When something is off but not enough to warrant a fight-or-flight response, we’re just left feeling instinctual anxiety. In many instances, it’s almost worse to experience the “not quite right” stage compared to the “something is very wrong” finale, because at least then you don’t have to wonder if you’re overreacting.